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Re: BMW of Sterling

Chris was good. Unfortunately, he's gone now. I've used them for the better part of a year (2004) but haven't had the degree of satisfaction with their services that I'd consider adequate - repeat visits to address the same problem, car returned in a filthy condition, etc - so I've begun looking for another service facility.

Service at VOB is bad

Bought an X3 there in december and had been using their service department since. Buying the car was a good experience.

I don't recommend their service. Car is dirty inside almost everytime I get it back from service. Service advisor lied to me every time there was an issue he couldn't isolate. And they're not knowledgeble about what's going on, service bulletins etc... to the point where my service advisor joked about me knowing the bulletins and the latest issues before him.

It's been the worst service experience I've ever had (including with my past non-BMW cars), and I gave them 5 tries.

Tishcher service has declined. Trying Passport.

Peter is all right. You may have to remind him of things but he is knowledgeable and does follow through. He was my advisor when he was at Tischer. Under Dave E. the service department at Tischer provided prompt and efficient service. Peter and Dave are long gone. My new advisor at Tischer is a disappointment. She lacks customer service skills, provides inaccurate information and has to consult the technicians on many automotive questions. I will be going to Passport BMW to join Peter's team there.

yup, they suck!

Re: BMW of Sterling Sales Is Awful ... Read this!

We shopped at BMW of Sterling for a new 2006 3 Series. We saw one we liked but didn't want to make a decision on the spot. The sales person Ari Feinstein asked us to leave a refundable deposit to hold the car for a few days just in case we came to a decision. There aren't many out there so we obliged. We then contacted him the next day to tell him that we didn't want it and we were looking for a silver with sport pkg. He said he would notify us when he found one.
In the meantime, we went to VOB and they located one right away coming into the states and had made a dealer exchange for us, and even had the best price too. Time was of the essence because we wanted the right car as soon as possible before their annual price increase on September 1st. Everything went smoothly with this experience.
Fast forward to this Saturday, when we get a call from this sales person telling us that he had a car for us. What...1.5 months later we hear from him? We told him we found a car already, to which he replied...why would you do that? He proceeded in his rude tone to tell us that he was going to keep the $1,000 deposit. (Almost out of spite)
How could this be??? Beware fo him and BMW of Sterling all you consumers. #1 they are attempting to keep a deposit on a car we didn't want and they already sold. (The contract has the vin of this car imprinted on it) #2 the "contract" states that the deposit is 100% refundable. #3, I was promised a call by the Sales manager over there and still have yet to hear anything from them.
FYI, I reported this to BMW of NA and they even advised me to report this activity to the Better Business Bureau, due to the fact that they are an independent dealership.
You would do much better as a consumer by avoiding this dealership and this sales person. We have bought many cars in the past and this by far has been the worst automobile dealership experience we have come across.

Re: BMW of Sterling Sales Is Awful ... Read this!

Sterling has some problems... tried to rip off a friend with a CPO dispute; wouldn't sell me 7-series rotors for my modified 5-series; has little or no service talent onboard to work on E28 models, often does not reply to E-mails about parts availability. I don't use them anymore.
FWIW.
-Rod

Re: STAY AWAY from VOB BMW in Rockville!!

VOB BMW is absolutely terrible. i bought a 2006 5 series from corby that has been in the shop 13 times in the last 4 months. i am in the process of filing it under lemon laws and have an attorney reviewing it. the service department is very bad. i had some little things stole from the car (my fault for leaving them) but still. ive been back multiple times for the same problem. i am completey fed up with how they keep pushing blame down the line...this technician, or that service rep, or the sales agent. what can i say...love bmw, but just can not stand VOB. which really sucks because they are the only dealer close by..montgomery county maryland.

VOB BMW in Rockville!!

I purchased a BMW X3 in November 2005. I am still awaiting tags. They have horrible service and refuse to compensate customers for discrepancies that is to the fault of their own. I am still awaiting tags. I've been given the runaround and even spoke with the general manager Mr. Poparicci. My salesperson was Jim Cottom, however, he has been slow returning my phone calls on this issue. When he did return my phone call he did not offer any advise or a solution. Malana is the title processor and when she learned of my problem she quickly chuckled and stated that seven (7) other people are in my shoes, rather non-chalantly, as if this was an okay situation. I will NEVER return to this dealership and suggest you all take a good look at these blogs before doing any kind of busines with this dealership!
P.S. The car runs Fabulous!

Re: Tishcher service has declined. Trying Passport.

Re: STAY AWAY from VOB BMW in Rockville!!

i read this forum earlier this month, however i still chose vob bmw. i bought the car there so i wanted them to take a look at the car under cpo...
told em there was something wrong with the tranny in cold weather till the car warms up. they looked at it and replacing the whole transmission under warranty, no questions asked. they also said clutch may need replacement in the near future and if i wanna pay for the part labor will be covered as well.
so far they got it goin on
i will be out of warranty at the end of feb. so till then i'll stick with them, after february tho i will be looking for a local shop, i can't see myself paying dealer invoices

Re: STAY AWAY from BMW in Midlothian, Va.

The people in the service area and the management team at Richmond BMW on Midlothian Turnpike are DISHONEST.
DO NOT EVER BUY THERE, If you have already BE CAREFUL. DO NOT under any circumstances HAVE YOUR CAR REPAIRED THERE. They misdiagnosed repairs on my car and overcharged me for them too. They agreed in writing that they did so. Crown BMW is a LLC, I have also filed complaints with State agencies, called the local news stations and other media outlets as well as hired an attorney to get them to do the right thing. UNREAL.

Re: STAY AWAY from VOB BMW in Rockville!!

STAY AWAY FROM VOB! True ! ! I own a Z Roadster, and a 323 Ci Convertible. I have been to VOB 4 times for various services, but NEVER again! Some problems remained (which is disruptive and time-consuming to have redone), and each time, the VOB staff (different folks) act like I am disrupting their valuable time with my cars. I remember a guy named Tom nursery-rhyme singing the cost of my projected expense (I guess it was a lot of money for him, and he felt like projecting internal laughter). Each time I have been to the Service Department, I listen to the sounds of people complaining about their service. Each of the 4 times I have been there, that is what I heard. That last time, I decided to pay my expenses for Tom's estimate, and have the work done elsewhere. I have actually driven 30 miles away for a key fob rather than to nearby VOB.

Be careful at Passport

I bought a 323i from Passport. Followed through on a-l-l my services, plus anything else that appeared to be a problem. Unfortunately at 101K miles, 30 miles outside of my last service repair (which was a bad experience with the "blue" team leader) the cooling system fail and the engine had to be replaced. Passport was not responsive and disconnected themselves from the matter. It cost me $7500 for a replacement engine. From my mechanic, I was told that the cooling system is not suitable for the engine and that's one thing that owner's should be aware of. Bottom line be careful at Passport.

Re: STAY AWAY from VOB BMW in Rockville!!

I just had the most horrific experience at VOB in Rockville. One of my rear windows broke, so I brought it in to the shop to be fixed. I called my service guy (John from the blue team) to get the estimate, and ended up leaving him four voicemails, without ever once receiving a call back. I finally had to show up in person at the dealership to find out what was going on with the car. They had fixed it, but had also (supposedly) done a "quick check" of the car overall, discovered that the oil was overfilled (which is impossible because I had driven 4,000 since the last time my oil was changed), and changed the oil without my permission. The reason they cited is that it's dangerous when the oil level is too high, but you can't just drain out some of the oil-- you have to drain it all and refill with new oil.
Anyone who knows anything about cars knows this is complete BS, but just to confirm, I called several other BMW certified repair shops and asked about their policies on this. As suspected, nobody had ever heard of draining all the oil out and starting over.
When I called the next day to share this information and demand they pay me back for the oil change, no answer from John, and no call back, despite my 4 voicemails. It's been more than a week, and I am still trying to reach him on the phone. I am absolutely livid.

I know many satisfied customers...

Re: STAY AWAY from VOB BMW in Rockville!! INDEED!!

As a new transplant (4 days when I went to them) from south living in Rockville, VOB was automatically my first choice, not to mention I was on crutches for a fibula fracture. What a mistake!!!

For an airconditioner service, Maryland inspection, front brake pad(which I'm not sure I needed them in the first place), and replacement of windshield wipers(one was cut so short 3 inch of the holder was not covered with rubber), they charged me almost $2300. The service guy gave me a $40 discount before giving me the bill. When I talked with the Service manager, he gave me back another $200 almost right away. The airconditioning was still not as cold as it was after another 2 workup.

The car was never washed as they promised, despite the fact that the car was there for THREE times.